How to Import Sounds in Flash CS5

The best multimedia creations use not only visuals and motion but also sound and music, so your Adobe Flash Creative Suite 5 movies should, too. Flash CS5 fully supports the import, placement, and control of sounds in lots of different formats, so you can easily bring in loops, sound effect files, and even music from your .mp3 collection.

You can enhance your movie with background music or narrative, and sound effects can make using buttons and menus more intuitive. Flash can stream longer sounds (such as soundtracks or long-form narration) to minimize loading time so that users get right to the good stuff.

Flash imports the following audio file formats:

AIFF

MP3

Windows WAV

Note: Additional file formats are available with the optional QuickTime plug-in installed.

Follow these steps to import a sound into your library:

Create a new Flash document and choose File→Import→Import to Library.

Browse and choose an .mp3, .wav, or .aiff file from your hard drive and click Open (Windows) or Choose (Mac).

Choose Window→Library to launch the Library panel.

The sound appears in the library with a speaker icon.

Select the sound and check out the Preview window.

A waveform preview of your sound appears, and you can listen to the sound by using the Stop and Play buttons in the upper right corner of the panel.

If you need audio files to work with, many web sites, such as Flash Kit and FlashSound, provide low-cost or free sound effects and loops in Flash-friendly formats. You can also find a listing of sound effects sites in the Adobe Knowledgebase.